have a lot of respect for Sean Payton and the job that he does, Manning added, noting that Payton attended his retirement party several weeks before training camp. I really appreciated h

SASKATOON - Nathan MacKinnon says he may never score a bigger goal. Bold words for a player with a bright NHL future, but fans of the Halifax Mooseheads would probably agree. MacKinnon had a hat trick, including a title-clinching goal into an empty net, and Jonathan Drouin had a sublime five-assist performance as Halifax held off a late Portland rally to defeat the Winterhawks 6-4 in the final of the MasterCard Memorial Cup. Leading 5-2 with under six minutes to go, the Mooseheads watched as Portland cut it to 5-4 with 1:14 left. Thats when MacKinnon, a 17-year-old with maturity beyond his years, scored into an empty net to send Halifax to its first Canadian Hockey League title. "I might not score a bigger goal in my life," said MacKinnon, who added two assists and was named tournaments most valuable player after scoring a tournament-best seven goals and six assists in four games. "Its just ... 22 seconds left. We won it. Were champions. "The empty netter will be in my mind forever." After the game, players mingled with family on the ice as a small but vocal group of travelling Mooseheads fans chanted, cheered and banged on the glass in the near-empty Credit Union Centre. "Its unbelievable. I grew up in Halifax. Ive watched this team go through hard times and good times," MacKinnon added. "After that second period there was a little doubt creeping into our mind but at the same time we had a pretty solid third period. They made it close again but its all worth it." Konrad Abeltshauser added two goals and an assist, while Martin Frk had a goal and two assists for Halifax, which got 40 saves from Zachary Fucale as a team from the QMJHL won the Memorial Cup for the third straight year. "Right now theres so much going through my mind," Fucale said. "Its that feeling you cant describe. "It felt like the longest game ever but now it seems as if it went so fast, as if the past two years just flew by. This feels as if its not even real. This is crazy." Mooseheads coach Dominique Ducharme said his best players excel when the games mean the most. "Nathan, Jonathan and Fucale ... those guys, they like big moments," he said. "They like playing in big games and they want to be difference makers and tonight they were. "Those guys like facing big teams and big moments and big challenges. Tonight they just showed that theyre big-time players." Ty Rattie had a goal and three assists, while Nicolas Petan added a goal and two assists for the Winterhawks. Seth Jones and Brendan Leipsic also scored for Portland, while Mac Carruth made 35 stops for the Western Hockey League champions. "Its not kind of disappointing, its very disappointing," said Winterhawks coach Travis Green, whose team was down 3-0 after the first period. "I thought we showed a lot of heart coming back. We made a late push but it wasnt enough." Leading 3-2 in the third, MacKinnon gave his team some breathing room at 7:36 with his tournament-leading sixth goal by chipping a puck past a fallen Carruth. Abeltshauser then followed up on a MacKinnon rush to bury a rebound at 11:11 to make it 5-2. Leipsic got one back for Portland at 14:32 and Rattie scored with 1:14 left to cut the deficit to one, but MacKinnon iced the game with 22.4 seconds remaining before the Mooseheads spilled onto to the ice to celebrate at the final buzzer. "Its probably the greatest game Ive ever played. Its just the greatest moment," Drouin said. "Its unbelievable. Winning the Memorial Cup with this group of guys is remarkable. "Well remember this game for probably the rest of our lives." Down 3-0 after a disastrous first period, the Winterhawks came out with renewed vigour in the second, outshooting the Mooseheads 18-6 and scoring twice. Portland got its first while killing a penalty when Rattie jumped on a Halifax turnover in the Mooseheads end and fed Petan, who beat Fucale with a backhand move at 10:36. The Winterhawks, who won the WHL title despite the season-long suspension of coach and general manager Mike Johnston for transgressions that included financial perks for players and their families, looked to have cut the deficit to one later in the period, but after a video review it was judged Rattie directed the puck into the net with his glove. No review would be needed a few minutes later with the teams playing 4-on-4 when Jones, a defenceman who is the No. 1 ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting ahead of Junes draft, roofed a shot on Fucale from in tight with 1:19 left in the period. The Mooseheads, who lost just six games in the regular season and once in the playoffs as the CHLs top-ranked team before earning a bye right to the final of this tournament, were a step ahead in the first period. "They came out hard," Rattie said. "We stuck together like we have all year. We came out in the second period, third period and played our game." After Stephen MacAulay, Frk and MacKinnon couldnt connect for Halifax on three glorious chances in front of Carruth, Abeltshauser got Halifax on the board at 6:31. The overage German defenceman, playing his final game for the Mooseheads, ripped a one-timer off a feed from Drouin from the point past a screened Carruth up high on the power play. MacKinnon, who is second on the NHLs Central Scouting list behind Jones and also had a hat trick and an assist in Halifaxs 7-4 victory over Portland in the round robin, made it 2-0 just 89 seconds later, snapping a quick shot past Carruth from the slot. The Mooseheads stretched their lead to three at 15:59 on a rocket of a one-timer from Frk off another feed from Drouin that beat a helpless Carruth upstairs. Drouin, who was named CHL player of the year on Saturday, is ranked No. 3 behind Jones and MacKinnon ahead of the draft. Carruth, an emotional goalie who wears his heart on his sleeve, kept the score at 3-0 in the final minute of the period with two big saves, but Portland still found itself in a big hole before rallying in the second. "We werent sharp," Winterhawks defenceman Derrick Pouliot said. "It took us a period to wake up and by then it was real tough to come back." Meanwhile, the Mooseheads are looking forward to sharing their first championship with their fans back home. "Im proud of everyone and so happy for the people of Halifax who supported the organization for so long," Ducharme said. "This year was just incredible and to come back to Halifax with that trophy and share it with them is going to great." Notes: Fucale, Pouliot, Abeltshauser, MacKinnon, Frk and Rattie were named to the tournament all-star team. Saskatoon Blades goalie Andrey Makarov was named the top goalie, while London Knights centre Bo Horvat won the sportsmanship award. ... Saint John won the Memorial Cup in 2011, while Shawinigan took the title last year. ... Carruth allowed all seven Halifax goals on 35 shots in Portlands loss to Halifax in the round robin. ... Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain and Saskatoon Blades alumni Wendel Clark dropped the puck at the ceremonial faceoff. ... Portland won the Memorial Cup in 1983 and 1998. ... Attendance at the Credit Union Centre was 11,488.Cheap Womens Air Max 97 .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Air Max 97 Off White For Sale . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. http://www.outletairmax97.com/ . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Air Max 97 Silver Bullet Fake . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Air Max 97 Clearance . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set.WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- A lanky 6-foot-5 man in a button-down, long-sleeve shirt and tie walked onto the field during Saints training camp on Sunday, bringing a mixture of fond and painful memories to veteran safety Roman Harper.After a brief and friendly chat, Harper gave recently retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning a hug.I was still angry, because last time I saw him, confetti was going all his way, Harper, who spent the past two seasons with Carolina, said in reference to last seasons Super Bowl that was won by Mannings Denver Broncos.He said we were even and we laughed about it, Harper added, alluding to the Saints Super Bowl triumph over Mannings Indianapolis Colts to cap the 2009 season.At the end of the day you just tip your hat off to him and understand that were all competitors. He was able to do it for 18 years in this league and be able to be so great for so long. Its just amazing that he gets to go out on top the way he did.Saints coach Sean Payton has mentioned the possibility of adding a fourth quarterback to the roster during preseason and smiled at a lighthearted question asking whether thats why Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner and five-time NFL MVP, showed up.In fact, Manning was attending the Grocery Manufacturing Associations leadership forum, also hosted by the luxury Greenbrier Resort, where the Saints are holding training camp for a third straight summer.Manning was on a list of guest speakers for the conference that also included retired four-star Army general Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, and members of the Beach Boys.It just happened to time up with our camp, Payton said. And it was good having him out here. You know, he had a chance just to be around our guys. And someone with the success hes had, it was good seeing him.One of his great traits is he likes being around players and this type of teaching atmosphere, Payton continued. It was limited time because his commitments were across the street. But Im sure it was a good break for him, and it was for us.ddddddddddddManning was not available for interviews but released a statement on his visit through the Saints, saying he hadnt been to a Saints training camp since he was in high school in the early 1990s. He recalled attending a practice with his father, Archie, a former Saints quarterback who at that time was part of the clubs radio broadcast team. During that practice, Manning threw passes to a couple members of the local media.That was actually the time I think I started to believe I could be a pretty good quarterback, Manning said in apparent jest. That was a real major milestone for me, working out with the media at an NFL training camp. So its fun to be back and it was great to see Drew Brees, who has been a longtime friend and an individual I have a great deal of respect for. And it was fun to be with him and the other quarterbacks.Obviously, it goes without saying but I have a lot of respect for Sean Payton and the job that he does, Manning added, noting that Payton attended his retirement party several weeks before training camp. I really appreciated him coming out.In addition to attending practice, Manning also dropped in on some team meetings Saturday evening.As reserve quarterbacks Luke McCown and Garrett Grayson took a series of snaps during 11-on-11 drills, Manning and Saints star Drew Brees stood together, chatting. Tight end Coby Fleener couldnt help but become a little reflective at the sight of the two star QBs together.Seeing Peyton out here and seeing Drew out on the same field . its still kind of mind-boggling to see that much awesomeness at quarterback, said Fleener. And Im super thankful to have Drew as mine.When it was Brees turn to get back under center for a few more snaps, one of his completions was a long touchdown pass over the middle to Fleener.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '